Lotus CEO Dany Bahar Is Looking for a New Partner

Proton, the current parent company of Lotus, was recently bought by Malaysian conglomerate DRB-Hicom, and this has made Lotus CEO Dany Bahar a little uncertain about the brand’s future. During the years in which Lotus was under Proton’s protection, it didn’t bring any significant profit to its owners, so now Bahar can expect the new parent company to stop investing in the British sports car manufacturer.

As a consequence, Bahar started looking for a new partner or even buyer that would be willing to take Lotus from under Proton’s umbrella. He has announced that the company needs a £500 million (approx. $789 million) investment to support its future projects, like the new Elise, Esprit, Elan and Eterne.

Apparently one interested company is Genii Capital, the owner of the Lotus Formula One team. Reports suggest that several Chinese companies have also shown interest in purchasing the renowned auto manufacturer.